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Sony Unveils 10 Mins of Awesome Footage for Blomkamp's 'Elysium'

The moment we've all been waiting for. With the 2013 summer movie season less than a month away from kicking off, it's about time the studios start marketing their big movies. One of them we've been watching for years is the second feature from Neill Blomkamp (of District 9) called Elysium. At Comic-Con in 2012, Sony unveiled a few vehicles and 12 minutes of footage inside of Hall H that kicked our ass (video blog here), but now they repackaged and debuted the trailer and 10 minutes of finished footage today. The promo event was simultaneously hosted for fans as well as press in four cities across the world, kick starting the kind of exciting buzz this movie deserves. Blomkamp is single-handedly pushing the sci-fi genre each movie.

Elysium is set a hundred years in the future, in a world where Earth has become overcrowded and dirty, all the inhabitants are unkempt. The wealthy reside in beautiful utopia inside an enormous circular 2001-like space station called Elysium orbiting around Earth. Matt Damon stars as a blue collar worker in a robot manufacturing plant for Armadyne, the devious corporation behind all of the corruption. The plot involves figuring out how to somehow get to Elysium. William Fichtner plays an Elysium exec who has valuable data he's after, while Sharlto Copley plays Elysium's sole security man - and damn does he look badass.

What defines this movie and makes the footage so awesome is the world Blomkamp has built. Instead of aliens (like in District 9), we get a world where robots are the superior species. There are robot police, robot escorts, mechs of all kinds, but they don't feel like CGI. They seem as real and seamlessly a part of this world just like the aliens in D9. He also establishes a fantastic dichotomy between the sleek, refined world of Elysium, and the gritty, brown, disgusting world of Earth, showing just how bad things would get if division of wealth in society continued to expand. Things gets really badass when Damon outfits himself with mech implants on his arms and legs to make him more powerful. That is the exact moment when shit gets real.

As we confirmed with the new poster today, the trailer will be out tomorrow night (giving you an idea of all that we're talking about). Besides that, the 10 minutes of footage we did see, which was different than the Comic-Con footage and included endless amounts of stunning (finished) visual effects, looks so badass. It's one of my most anticipated because I really think Blomkamp is pushing the sci-fi genre with his worlds and his stories more than most other filmmakers. But enough of my own words, I'll let the buzz speak for itself:

Omfg! Have to pick up my jaw off the floor. Elysium footage was SO badass, SO awesome. Blomkamp is single-handedly pushing the sci-fi genre.

It's exhilarating to hear that everyone else is as excited for Elysium as I am, based on all of that footage. It just goes to show how Neill Blomkamp can create some of the most visceral, badass, genre-pushing sci-fi out there yet still make audiences of all ages giddy with excitement. There's no point in us trying to explain or recap any of the footage, because it's best experienced in theaters for yourself. This is the kind of movie that reminds me why I love the science fiction genre so much; how it makes us believe in different worlds yet challenges our contemporary thoughts on society and wealth. This is the kind of science fiction that is going to drive the new era upon us to new heights. Bring on the 'bots and brilliance, Blomkamp, can't fokkin wait.

Elysium, directed by South African filmmaker Neill Blomkamp (of District 9), focuses on Secretary Rhodes (Foster), a hardened government ofﬁcial, who will stop at nothing to enforce anti-immigration laws and preserve the luxurious lifestyle of the citizens of Elysium. However, that doesn’t stop the people of Earth from trying to get in, by any means they can. When unlucky Max (Damon) is backed into a corner, he agrees to take on a daunting mission that if successful will not only save his life, but could bring equality to these polarized worlds. Sony/Columbia has Elysium set to hit theaters on August 9th. See the first trailer here.

I usually get hyped from your critics after you have watched the movie, but with this you and many of your contacts have made an early statement of hype. So if with only 10 min of footage this is the result, and since I am a huge fan of Prometheus, I am embarking on the hype train for this!

JBrotsis

Sounds like it's gonna be an epic summer! I loved his work in District 9 so I'll definitely have to see this! Seems the whole summer is based off sci fi movies = righteous! I'm curious though Alex, as you stated you get hyped for movies easily and I'm sure I've read in other articles you stating how each movie is very anticipating, what are your top 3 MOST anticipated movies of the summer so all know on your behalf?

Ha, I know I know... I was forced to choose my Top 3! And my Top 2 are set, and I didn't want to leave out either IM3 or MOS or TGG. I'm probably more excited for MOS, but I'm also very excited for Shane Black's gritty take on Iron Man and Baz Luhrmann's flashy but emotional take on Great Gatsby.